MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Carroll University women's volleyball closed out the Raider Invite in dominant fashion Saturday, earning a pair of straight-set victories at the Kern Center. The Pioneers opened the day with a 3-0 win over Luther College before completing the weekend with another sweep against Moravian University. Carroll finished the tournament with a 3-1 record and improved to 6-3 overall.
Saturday Afternoon: Carroll 3, Luther 0 (25-17, 25-8, 25-14)
Carroll opened Saturday's action with a convincing straight-set victory over Luther. The Pioneers found themselves trailing 9-7 midway through the opening set before taking control behind the serving of Samantha Miserendino. Carroll scored eight consecutive points to turn the two-point deficit into a 15-9 advantage, with Miserendino recording four service aces during the run. Luther cut the deficit to one at 15-14, but Carroll responded again and eventually closed the set with four straight points for a 25-17 victory.
The Pioneers wasted little time taking control of the second set, jumping out to a 5-0 advantage before stretching the lead to 11-1. Carroll continued to pull away from there, hitting .520 with 15 kills and just two attack errors in a dominant 25-8 victory. The Pioneers remained in control in the third, using several scoring runs to build separation before completing the sweep with a 25-14 win.
Audrey Rosenbaum led the Carroll offense with 14 kills on a .480 hitting percentage while adding 13 digs. Kylie Wittnebel finished with seven kills without an attack error, while contributing eight total blocks. Carly Hicklin added seven kills, six digs and three service aces, while Miserendino finished with five aces. Lexi Proctor and Payton Depies each recorded 14 assists.
Saturday Afternoon: Carroll 3, Moravian 0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-16)
Carroll carried its momentum into the tournament finale against Moravian, controlling the match from start to finish. After the teams traded points early in the opening set, the Pioneers began to create separation before using a six-point run to turn a 15-10 advantage into a commanding 20-10 lead. Carroll closed out the frame 25-12 while hitting .308.
The second set was tighter early, but Carroll once again pulled away in the middle stages. With the score tied at 11, the Pioneers rattled off seven straight points to build an 18-11 advantage. Carroll maintained control down the stretch, with Rosenbaum serving three consecutive aces to close the set and give the Pioneers a 25-17 victory.
Carroll jumped out to an early advantage again in the third set and never surrendered control. The Pioneers used multiple four-point scoring runs to steadily increase the margin before closing out the set 25-16 and securing their second sweep of the day.
Hicklin led the Pioneer attack with 11 kills and added 10 digs, while Rosenbaum finished with nine kills, eight digs and a match-high five service aces. Wittnebel added eight kills on a .333 hitting percentage and two solo blocks, while Proctor recorded five kills, 21 assists and four digs. Miserendino led Carroll defensively with 15 digs.
Carroll returns home on Tuesday, September 15, to face St. Norbert. College inside Van Male Field House.
